Life's Vignettes: February 2008

February 24th

It has been such a special weekend up in St. Gallen. I have been able to have unlimited high speed internet on my OWN computer for the first time since I left home, and it has been such a blessing! I have not been writing on my blog because I was using the time to email and chat and catch up with my family. But at least you have seen pictures! I thought I should quickly post while I have a good opportunity before I head back into the land of silence. I have felt like a missionary returned from the field with all this sudden communication!!

Hannah and I are visiting the Toblers, friends of friends from home. I had never met them before, and this weekend has been a treat and a half! They have been so kind, and have spoiled us rotten. We are definitely on holiday! :] Chris is the CEO of a business that has been in his family for a few generations that fabricates (I hope I can describe this correctly!) fibers for different businesses. He is also a mountain climber, and has a goal to climb the highest mountain on every continent. I love his stories! Monika is warm and kind with tender brown eyes, and a real homemaker’s touch. She has made marvelous food for us, a lot of traditional meals from Switzerland. Hannah and I copied some recipes from her, and I will post one or two for you to try! I love their kids even though I have not spent a lot of time with them.

So we have been taking it easy. We sleep in, walk and walk, eat them out of house and home, call home, and email! Yesterday after a good breakfast and an amazing coffee, Chris walked down to the town with us (a good 20 minutes) and showed us around. He took us to a library that dated back to 600 something! It was so incredible! Then Hannah and I wandered around and bought some traditional music and then walked back up the hill to their home.

After a lunch with the family, we went out driving with Chris to see some of the area. I wanted to go to Austria and Germany since we were so close. The lake of Constance, or Bodensee as it is called in German, is surrounded by the three countries. It was a lovely afternoon, and I was actually keeping myself quite contained (to Hani’s pride and great relief) despite my excitement. It is such an amazing feeling when a dream comes true. You see, when you have a dream, you think and wonder if it will ever happen or come true. And then, when it does, you scarcely know what to do with it, it is such a special gift. And it is so like what you imagined, and yet different and even more special. That is the way I feel about this whole trip. I feel God’s hand on it the whole way. There I was, sitting in a sidewalk café in Germany, drinking coffee! I wish there were some way to share it with each of you. You want everyone you love to experience it too. And you savor the moment, because it is fleeting, and can never be reenacted in the same way again. It’s just a precious vignette of life that you savor for all it’s worth!

So we went all along the lake, stopping occasionally for pictures, and then parked and walked through the old area of Lindau. There were all the cobblestone streets and painted buildings, people walking everywhere, and birds singing gaily. It was a perfect afternoon as far as the weather was concerned, and we had a great view of the Tyrolean mountains of Austria. I told Chris he better not ever get used to the area he lives in! He treated us to a coffee at a Mona Lisa café, which I posted some pictures of. I really could see a difference in the architecture of the buildings when we passed through the countries. When we came home, we spent some time on the computer before the delicious supper of Raculette that Monika made. We sat up late with them, and I showed them pictures on my computer of friends and family at home. We slept sooo good!

And then today we slept in again, and after the good coffee and Züpfe bread (I spelled it wrong before) Hannah and I headed out for a Sunday morning stroll. OK, this is something I have wanted to write for a while and keep forgetting. The people of Switzerland LOVE Sundays. You see scores of families and couples walking and biking and out enjoying the day. If they live in the valley where it is cold and gray, they just drive up the mountain. Folks of all ages are out, running, pushing strollers, hiking, strolling and sitting on benches enjoying the view. (We passed a young lady that was nursing her baby on a bench next to the path this morning.) Everyone is basically fit because they bike and walk almost everywhere they need to go. It is no strange sight to see a very old wrinkled grandma in her grammy clothing biking away down a deserted path with her little basket attached to her bike.

And another special Sunday treat: the bells! Every Sunday morning no matter where you are, you can hear them ringing gaily across the valley for a quarter of an hour. And when it stops at one church, it starts in another. The weather has been unseasonably warm here this year, so the birds have been singing all their spring songs, and although the locals don’t like it, Hannah and I have been drinking it up! We walked in long sleeves this morning! We found a little table made of a tree trunk next to the road and sat there, soaking in the gorgeous morning, and taking turns reading scripture aloud. It was a precious moment to savor.

So now here we are, enjoying the connection for the last time for a while. Perhaps in Italy I can connect and post more pictures. Oh my! I never wrote about our travel here! Another touch of God. I had been praying that the Lord would somehow provide for our trip here, seeing as the trains cost so very much. It felt like a sort of foolish prayer because the cost is the cost, you know? And then someone heard what weekend we were heading to St. Gallen and told us there would be a ride halfway both of the days we would be traveling, and would we like to save on train fare? :] I could not believe it! So it only cost us $40 each for the weekend! It was a 45 minute ride each way, and I loved the trip! There is something about being on a train that feels so much more like up close Switzerland than a road does! We went over those high train bridges you see in books or travel videos. I hate tunnels. They ruin perfectly good photos. :] The ride is so smooth, and the trains are SO timely! It must be because of the Swiss watch. I mean, you have to be ready! The train stops, the doors open, and people pour out. Others quickly get in, the doors close, and the train is off! We have been very careful to allow ourselves enough time! :] These have been such great memories! And I have been in a lot of corners of the country. I am looking forward to going home to Guetli, though. We miss everyone!

One interesting bit of history, when Manfred was driving us to Uznach to meet the train, he told us some interesting stories, including how he was saved. Anyway, we passed through the area where there was much contention with Zwingly, and saw the hill where he died. There is a lot of history about the reformation right in our area.

There is a certain way they say, “So!” when the subject needs to change, or you need to head back to work, and we have really caught on to it! Well, you know me, the way I love impersonations and stuff, I adapt quickly to my surroundings. The “Aye” that Priscilla instilled in me in Israel has been reinforced by Hannah. :] And another phrase here - “Aha!” in a singsong tone. Hannah and I have caught ourselves doing it, and then we laugh. It’s very convenient, something you would say in a situation where an American would go, “Oh, OK!” They have other funny things. I can’t remember if I wrote this, but at Guetli someone said, “He’s losing his thread!” where we would call it “his train of thought”. And where we say “a bull in a china shop” they say, “an elephant in a pottery store!” :] OH YES! And they all say, “Super!” but all drawn out with a rolled “R”. I love it, and you can hear it mixed in with German on the radio! That is always good when someone says that to you.

Well, I will close this epistle for now, because lunch is soon. Keep up with the emails. I love and miss everyone, and pray for you all each and every day.